News, notes and reader questions about the San Francisco 49ers

April 8, 2014

The 49ers' have exactly one unrestricted free agent who has yet to sign with any team - center Jonathan Goodwin, who has handled virtually every snap for the team for the last three season. The frontrunner to replace him, of course, is fourth-year player Daniel Kilgore, who was Goodwin's backup last season and who recently signed a three-year contract extension.

The bigger question is, who will compete with and push Kilgore during the offseason and who will serve as his backup during the regular season?

The 49ers have options. Adam Snyder has started three games at center and was the team's backup there in 2011. Joe Looney has been taking practice snaps at center beginning with the draft process in 2010. Ryan Seymour, acquired off the Seahawks' practice squad last season, played some center his senior season at Vanderbilt.

"I feel good about that group competing for that spot," general manager Trent Baalke said when asked about the team's prospects at center last month.

And if he doesn't feel good, the team always can bring back Goodwin or perhaps draft a center. The 49ers have shown interest in one of the top players at the position, Colorado State's Weston Richburg, according to a league source. Richburg is either considered the top or second-best center (to Arkansas' Travis Swanson) in the draft, depending on which publication you read. He is expected to be taken in the second round.

MATTHEW BARROWS

Matt was born in Blacksburg, Va., and attended the University of Virginia. He graduated in 1995, went to Northwestern for a journalism degree a year later, and got his first job at a South Carolina daily in 1997. He joined The Bee as a Metro reporter in 1999 and started covering the 49ers in 2003. His favorite player of all time is Darrell Green.